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Friday, July 1, 2011

Whoa there Nellie!

It is time to slow down. Time to smell the flowers and rest in the glorious gift of Peace from the Lord.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? I am. Summer is finally here. My kids finished school two days ago. The sun is shining (hopefully for awhile). Life is good. So then why do I feel run down and overused?

I told my sister the other day I feel like a turtle who has lost her shell. Exposed. Fumbling. Out of sync. I want to hide but there is no where to go. My house is now full of two teenagers and a preteen all vying for space and attention. Not to mention the fictional characters that have taken up residence in my head. I can't even have a peaceful shower!

I came across a fellow believers site taking about this very same thing. She called it Warning Signs. As I read through her post I realized that I know the things that restore my balance and bring my rest - but I wait till I am hanging off my cliff before I do them. Why is that?

I commented on her blog of how taking a walk down my country road where barely anyone travels, with my iPod playing Christian music in my ears, is the medicine to my ailments. But, now ask me how often I take the time to do that?

No, never mind. Don't ask me that. The answer is depressing.

Why do I do this? Am I the only one? I see so many other moms running the race that I can't. Are they better, faster, smarter than me? Or are we all just fooling ourselves. What exactly is a priority? What MUST I do and what can be left for a rainy day?

How many people have you heard say, as they consider their last breathe:"if only I had more work days and less holidays?""I wish my family wouldn't need me so much?""my days were too long."

As I enter my summer days of 2011, I want to say things like this at the end:"I can't believe we had so many days to play at the beach together.""I really enjoyed those books I read. Especially the one we read aloud to each other.""I had so many coffee dates with my dear friends as we sat in the shade and watched our children play on the driveway together.""I enjoyed every sunset walk I took with my husband down our country road.""Every day I cherished my Lord, my blessings and my life. Because those are the things I MUST do."

So this summer I will take time to crawl up in my shell and rest in Christ. He commands me to come to Him when I am tired and weary. However, I will make sure that with me in my shell are people I love, scriptures that heal and restore, and priorities that have more to do with heavenly things than worldly expectations.

What are your summer wishes? Share at least one with me, please. It may inspire me to add it to my list.

Make sure today and tomorrow (and so on) you take heed of the warning signs. Take account of the things you MUST do instead of the things you SHOULD do.

Life is precious.

Here is my Canada Day gift to you! A song from a Canadian singer. Enjoy. (The video is just one simple picture - a nice relaxing and refreshing waterfall for your enjoyment. I put the lyrics below for you to follow along with if you want to.)

The Lyrics:
Verse 1:
I know what you’re going through,
There were times I’ve been there to,
We all need a shoulder to cry on.
All these worries and anxieties,
Just let me put your mind at ease,
Cause the night is always darkest before the dawn.

Chorus:
Yah it’s alright,
It’s gonna be ok.
You don’t have to worry anymore.
Yah it’s alright,
Just let me light up the way.
You never had a friend like this before.

Verse 2:
Sometimes it seems the road ahead,
Is twists and turns and all dead ends,
It’s hard to know which way to go.
But I will be your lifelong friend,
The one on whom you can depend.
Even when it seems like you’re alone,
You’re not!

Chorus 2:
Cause it’s alright,
Yah it’s gonna be ok.
You don’t have to worry anymore.
Yah it’s alright,
It’s gonna be a brighter day,
You don’t have to worry anymore,
Cause u never had a friend like this before.

Mmm-mmm-mmm

Yah its alright,
Its gonna be ok,
You don’t have to worry anymore.
Yah it’s alright,
There’s gonna be a bright new day,
You don’t have to worry anymore
Cause you never had a friend like this,
You never had a friend like this,
No you never had a friend like this before.

Mmmmm

You can count on me
Never had a friend like this,
Here’s a shoulder for you,
It’s not so bad.
It’s not so bad.

You're definitely not alone Jodi. I've really been struggling with the exact same thing. All the "stuff" I'm doing is good stuff...and yet I feel so worn out. How on earth do I decide what to get rid of?

Some of the things I want to be able to do this summer:Taking kids to the river.Reading a book to challenge me (Fearless). Tea with friends.Read aloud books to my kids.Family camping trips.Time spent getting to know the Lord better.Spending quality time with each of the kids, encouraging & challenging them.

Thanks for posting this Jodi. It helps so much to know you're not alone.